45.3 F
Naperville
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Transitions – War, myths and friendship

-

On November 11 we celebrate Veterans Day, commemorating the armistice that ended the Great War when a peace treaty was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day in the 11th month of 1918.

A recent article in American Legion Magazine discusses the friendship of two great men of letters who endured that war as soldiers. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were injured in body and wounded in soul so severely that Tolkien’s children would say he had a lifelong sadness.

Today we know that sadness is a form of PTSD, but was thrust aside back then. Veterans just bucked up and lived their lives. It was decades after WWII that my husband discovered his father suffered depression because of his severe combat wound.

Instead of being bogged down by their traumatic experiences, Lewis and Tolkien eventually wrote profound literature that remains popular today and has recently found new expression in films.

Lewis’ Tales of Narnia and Tolkien’s Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit are each very different in their readership, but friendship is central in both – a “friendship that is born of adversity.” Whereas many war-themed novels paint a gloomy picture, they “clothed their stories in myth because they believe (d)… It was a powerful way to communicate truths about the human condition.” And many of them portray the deep sacrificial friendships of comrades-in-arms.

Both men believed in overcoming the horrors of war by focusing on friendship. And their strong Christian beliefs influenced their lives. In fact, it was Tolkien, a creator of orcs, elves and wizards, who led Lewis to a new and philosophical understanding of his Christian faith.

So when we honor our veterans, let’s remember their physical and emotional wounds, their friends lost in combat, their endurance, their healing, and their postwar contributions to our society.

Stay Connected!

Get the latest local headlines delivered to your inbox each morning.
SUBSCRIBE
- Advertisement -
Barbara Blomquist
Barbara Blomquist
Barbara Blomquist is a Naperville resident, wife, mother, quilter, and screenwriter. Contact her at BWBLomquist@aol.com.

LATEST NEWS

DON’T MISS OUT!
GET THE DAILY
SQUARE-SCOOP
The latest local headlines delivered
to your inbox each morning.
SUBSCRIBE
Give it a try, you can unsubscribe anytime.
close-link

Stay Connected!

Get the latest local headlines delivered to your inbox each morning.
SUBSCRIBE
close-link